MAJOR GENERAL IRVING L. HALTER JR.

Maj. Gen. Irving L. Halter Jr. is Vice Director, Operations, Joint Staff, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. He supports the Director of Operations in assisting the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, in his duties as principal adviser to the President and Secretary of Defense. He assists in developing and providing guidance to the combatant commands, and in relaying communications between the President, Secretary of Defense and combatant commands regarding all current operations and plans.

General Halter is a native of southern New Jersey, graduating from Woodstown High School in 1973. He was commissioned upon graduation from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1977. General Halter has served in eight fighter units, including tours in the Pacific, Europe and the United States. He has commanded an operational fighter squadron, an operations group, a fighter wing, a composite wing and a numbered air force. The general also served as the deputy US VII Corps air liaison officer in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm; F-15C Detachment Commander, Operation Provide Comfort, flying combat missions over Northern Iraq; and Director, Air Component Coordination Element, Combined Joint Task Force 180, Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, Operation Enduring Freedom.

General Halter's senior staff assignments include Chief, Combat Forces Division, Deputy Chief of Staff, Plans and Programs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force; Deputy Director for Military Support, National Reconnaissance Office; and Vice Superintendent, U.S. Air Force Academy. Prior to this assignment, as Commander of the 19th Air Force, he was responsible for the Air Force's entry-level undergraduate flying training through advanced combat crew training, commanding more than 38,000 total force personnel and 1,720 aircraft. General Halter is a command pilot with more than 3,200 flying hours, including more than 2,200 in the F-15.